Refinish Materials Calculator Procedures
The Refinish Materials Calculator (RMC) calculates the refinish, paint, costs for the vehicle. The RMC combines average times, average material costs, amount of paint, and related materials. The RMC calculator is available for imported and domestic vehicles. With the Refinish Materials Calculator Add-On enabled in Mitchell Cloud Estimating,you can set up your estimate profile to use the Refinishing Materials Calculator (RMC) to calculate paint materials for your estimate.
How to
Enable and set up the refinish materials calculator
The Refinish Materials Calculator (RMC) icon is visible in the left navigation profile if the RMC has been enabled and set up. Click the RMC icon to access the Refinish Materials Calculator and the following options:
- Paint Codes
- Refinish Materials
- Body Materials
- Total Materials
- Report Preview
Note: If there is an error, you will receive a notification indicated by the Caution icon on the RMC icon in the left navigation panel. The error message will include a link to a page to resolve the error.
- Click the RMC icon in the left navigation panel to access the Refinish Materials Calculator and click the Paint Codes tab. You can view the Paint Type, Paint Code(s) and paint Method used to estimate refinishing costs.
- If Paint Code 1 (or Paint Code 2) have not been selected, visit the Job Overview page and click the Vehicle card. Select the paint codes on the Vehicle page and click Done. The paint codes will automatically populate the Paint Codes field in the RMC.
- Select the appropriate information from the list in each field:
Tip: Click the validation error or the second link for the vehicle at the top of the estimate editor to return to the Vehicle page.
Note: When you are on the Vehicle page, you must select a paint code from the list in order for the RMC to calculate properly. If you type the paint code, the refinish materials calculator will not work.
- Paint Type
- Method (Paint Code 1)
- Method (Paint Code 2)
- Click the RMC icon in the left navigation panel to access the Refinish Materials Calculator and click the Refinish Materials tab.
- Click +Refinish Materials to add any refinishing materials that are necessary to complete the job, but are not included in the cost associated with the paint code. The Refinish materials list has a unit cost already preset.
- Click Add To Report to add the selected materials.
- Click an item in the Refinish Materials list to change the quantity or unit cost of the item.
- Click +Add Refinish Materials List to add additional items from the Refinish Materials list or click +Custom Material to add custom items not already on the list.
- Click Done.
The item is added to the estimate. Notice the following about the fields in the new row that was added:
- Quantity - Defaults to 1
- Extended Cost and Unit Cost - Values are the same
- Mod - Contains an asterisk (*) indicating this item was modified
- Paint - If a paint item, X appears
For a custom item, type a description. If this is paint material, select the Paint Material check box. Enter the quantity and the unit cost.
- Click the item you need to modify.
- Make your changes.
- Click Done when you are finished making changes. The item is updated in the estimate.
Tip: Enter quantities in 100ths of a unit, for example, 0.05.
Note: If you are modifying an original Mitchell database item, you are only able to change the Unit Cost and Quantity fields. If you are modifying a custom user-defined item, you can modify the description, unit cost, and quantity.
- Select the item to delete.
- Click Delete. A verification dialog box displays.
- Click OK to confirm the deletion.
The item is deleted from the estimate.
- Click the RMC icon in the left navigation panel to access the Refinish Materials Calculator and click the Body Materials tab.
- Click +Body Materials to add any additional body materials that are necessary to complete the job, but are not included in the cost associated with the paint code. The Body Materials List has the unit cost already preset.
- Select as many items as needed and click Add To Report.
- Click an item in the Body Materials list to change the quantity or unit cost of the item.
- Click +Body Materials List to use items from the standard list or click +Custom Material to add new custom items not already on the list.
For a custom item, type a description. Enter the quantity and the unit cost. - Click Done. The item is added to the estimate. Notice the following about the fields in the new row that was added:
- Quantity - Defaults to 1
- Extended Cost and Unit Cost - Values are the same
- Mod an asterisk (*) indicates the item was modified
To modify an item from the Body Materials list, click the item you need to modify.
- Click the Modify Row button. The Modify - Additional Materials List dialog box appears.
- Make your changes.
- Click Done when you are finished making changes. The item is modified in the estimate. Notice the following changes:
- The Unit Cost is the amount you entered.
- Mod an asterisk (*) indicates the item was modified.
Tip: Enter quantities in 100ths of a unit, for example, 0.05.
Note: If you are modifying an original Mitchell database item, you are only able to change the Unit Cost and Quantity fields. If you are modifying a custom user-defined item, you can modify the description, unit cost, and quantity.
- Select the item you want to delete.
- Click Delete. A verification dialog box displays.
- Click OK to confirm the deletion. This item is deleted from the estimate.
Click the RMC icon in the left navigation panel to access the Refinish Materials Calculator and click the Total Materials tab.
You can view and adjust the materials cost for the different types of labor necessary to complete the job. The labor times will automatically populate on the screen based on the refinish units, blend units, and finish, sand & buff units on the estimate. Once labor units are populated, the system dynamically calculates each individual cost, as well as the total cost.
- If applicable, in the Bodywork Materials section, enter the number of units in the Metal Work Materials, Fiberglass Work Materials, or Plastic "Flex" Materials (panels) fields.
- If applicable, in the Adjustments section, enter a markup or discount in the Markup/Discount (%) field.
- Notice that the total cost is automatically calculated when you click out of an input field.
Note: The Additional Refinishing Materials and Additional Bodywork Materials totals cannot be changed on this page. If you need to make a change to those costs, return to either the Refinishing Materials or the Body Materials tab to make changes.
Click the RMC icon in the left navigation panel to access the Refinish Materials Calculator and click the Report Preview tab. You can view the Refinish Materials Calculation Report as it will appear when it is downloaded or printed.
To print or download the report, click Share at the top right of the screen.
Note: You can view, download, print, or send the RMC report to the insurance company. When you send the estimate to the insurance company, the RMC report will be included with the estimate report (printout) and other relevant reports that are sent to WorkCenter.